The government's housing program for Typhoon Yolanda victims is behind schedule. Many houses built are still empty because of local government policies and other issues, so the program's goals haven't been achieved.

Why It Matters

Recommended Actions

• Management require the concerned departments to minimize the delays in the project implementation and ensure the immediate completion of housing units by: Ensuring full coordination with the concerned government agencies, particularly the LGUs and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to address and resolve the issues/problems contributing to the delayed construction/completion, and to promote effective and more synchronized planning and implementation of projects
• Closely monitoring the timelines for the completion of the projects by the contractors and address the causes of the delays/suspension and grant of time extensions
• Considering the creation of a new committee responsible for the monitoring of performance/surety bonds, and collection of the money value of forfeited performance/surety bonds particularly for all terminated contracts
• Directing the BAC to thoroughly verify and evaluate the operational conditions of equipment and other construction needs during the post-qualification phase, among others, to ensure the adequacy, availability, and suitability of the contractor's technical capabilities
• Acting immediately on terminated contracts with issued notices and orders of termination
• And For projects where LGUs serve as implementing agencies, coordinating and strictly monitoring the project accomplishment for the immediate completion of the housing units.

Original Audit Finding Excerpt

"Nine years after Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines, only 166,034 or 78.94 per cent of the 210,317 revised targeted housing units (HUs) under the Yolanda Permanent Housing Program (YPHP) have been completed. Moreover, among the 166,034 completed HUs, 51,538 or 31 percent remain unoccupied and out of this, 9,329 completed HUs have been turned over to LGUs but are still unoccupied as at December 31, 2022 due to LGUs “No demolition, No relocation” policy, pending validation of actual occupants prior to awarding, and beneficiaries’ personal reasons not to occupy the HUs. Thus, the NHA’s roles in the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) to implement the land development and housing projects with community facilities, were not met."

Source Document